Saya Sakakibara
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Born | (1999-08-23) 23 August 1999 (age 25) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Saya Sakakibara (born 23 August 1999)[1] is an Australian cyclist competing in BMX racing events.
Personal and early life
Sakakibara was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, to a mother of Japanese heritage and a father of British citizenship.[2] She started BMX racing at the age of four after watching her older brother Kai competing.[3][4] The family moved to Sydney in 2007 and Sakakibara joined the South Illawarra BMX Club where her brother Kai was a member. She then began competing on the junior circuits and quickly rose through the ranks winning state and national titles.[5]
As of 2019, Sakakibara is dating fellow BMX racer, Romain Mahieu.[6]
Career
Sakakibara has represented Australia at World Championship level. She won a silver medal in the Junior Elite BMX Supercross at the 2017 World Championships. She was awarded AusCycling's Female BMX Racing Rider of the Year in 2020.[7] She was selected for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics as part of the Australian team.[8][9] She crashed in the semi-finals of the Olympics and did not qualify for the final.[10]
She won the 2023 UCI BMX Racing World Cup and retained her title in Tulsa in 2024.[11]
She won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[12]
Major results
- 2016
- 1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross National Championships
- 1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
- 2017
- 1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross National Championships
- 1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
- 2nd Junior Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
- 2018
- 6th Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
- 2019
- 1st Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
- 1st Elite Tokyo 2020 BMX Test Event
- 7th Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
- 2021
- 1st Superclass Women BMX National Championships[13]
- 2023
- 1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup[14]
- 1st Oceania Championships[15]
- 1st Elite BMX National Championships
- 2024
- 1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup[16]
- XXXIII Olympics (Paris 2024) Gold Medal Women's Cycling BMX Racing
References
- ^ "Saya Sakakibara Australian CyclingTeam". Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Identity of Mixed-Race Athletes BMX Kai & Saya Sakakibara (Part 2)". SBS Language.
- ^ "Saya Sakakibara Profile". auscycling.org.au.
- ^ Norris, Emma. "Meet 17-Year-Old Pro BMX Rider And Certified Badass, Saya Sakakibara". sporteluxe. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ "Saya Sakakibara". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ "BMX Racing: Saya Sakakibara (AUS) wins women's gold". Olympics. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Richie Porte named 2020 AusCycling Cyclist of the Year". 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ "Husband and wife mountain bikers and first-time BMX riders named for Tokyo Olympics". news.com.au. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Aussie Olympic History with BMX and Mountain Bike Selections for Tokyo 2020". Australian Olympic Committee. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "BMX medal hopeful Saya Sakakibara crashes out of Olympics in heartbreaking circumstances". 7News. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ Doherty, Luke (29 April 2024). "Aussie duo's huge Olympics statement in BMX World Cup triumphs". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Snape, Jack (2 August 2024). "Saya Sakakibara overcomes setbacks and trauma to win BMX gold for Australia and her brother". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Race F2 – Superclass Women Final". Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "UCI BMX Racing World Cup - Round 10". UCI. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Australia dominates Oceania BMX Racing Championships". AusCycling. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ "Aussie duo's huge Olympics statement in BMX World Cup triumphs". Fox Sports. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
External links
- Saya Sakakibara at UCI BMX Supercross World Cup
- Saya Sakakibara at Olympedia
- Saya Sakakibara at Olympics.com
- Saya Sakakibara at the Australian Olympic Committee
- v
- t
- e
- 2008:
Anne-Caroline Chausson (FRA)
- 2012:
Mariana Pajón (COL)
- 2016:
Mariana Pajón (COL)
- 2020:
Beth Shriever (GBR)
- 2024:
Saya Sakakibara (AUS)